Norember 23, 1833. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
467 
Events of the Week. —Apart from the meeting of the Com¬ 
mittees of the Royal Horticultural Society at the Drill Hall, James 
Street, S.W., on Tuesday, the 28th, but few events of horticultural 
interest will take place in the metropolis during the ensuing week. 
The Royal Botanic Society will hold a meeting at the Gardens, Regent’s 
Park, on the 25th inst., and the annual dinner of the National Chrys¬ 
anthemum Society is announced to take place at Anderton’s Hotel, Fleet 
Street, on the 30th inst. 
- The Weather in London. —Since publishing our last issue 
some stormy weather has been experienced in the metropolitan area, 
as in other parts of the country. A gale of wind, accompanied with 
rain and snow, occurred on Saturday night, snow continuing to fall 
more or less the greater part of Sunday. It soon disappeared, 
however, but much damage has been done in some localities. Monday 
was fine, and the same may be said of Tuesday. Wednesday opened 
dull but dry, and at the time of going to press it is rather cold. 
- Weather in the North. —The beginning of the past week 
from the llth was dull, with rain on the evening of the 16th and the 
following morning. The violent northerly gale of Saturday morning 
reached its height about 2 a.m. Roads and railway lines were blocked 
with fallen wood, and damage was done to buildings and farmyards. 
In the woods the havoc is terrific. The past two days have been cold 
and bright, and 9° of frost are registered this morning (2l8t), with dense 
hoar frost. In the Blair Drummond Policies the wreckage is almost 
indescribable. Grand old trees, which have more than a local name, 
lie in hundreds uprooted, or with their great stems snapped at various 
heights. Oaks, Beeches, Larch, and Spruce Firs seems to have suffered 
most, and the state of the fine old grounds is most lamentable. On 
the adjoining estate of Lanrick half the woods are said to be down. 
—B. D., Perthshire. 
- Royal Horticultural Society.—T he next fruit and floral 
meeting of the Society will take place in the Drill Hall, James Street, 
V'’ictoria Street, Westminster, on Tuesday, November 28th, when special 
prizes will be offered for groups of Chrysanthemums naturally grown. 
At three o’clock Mr. T. Grasp, F.R.H.S.,iwill deliver a lecture on “ Date¬ 
keeping Grapes,” 
- Horticultural Club.—T he usual monthly dinner and 
conversazione took place last week. There were present Messrs. John 
Lee, Harry J. Veitch, J. S. Cousen, C, T. Druery, George Paul, T. W. 
Girdleston, and others. The discussion was on Gannas, and was opened 
with a very able and instructive paper by Mr. George Paul, in which 
the history and the mode of culture were exhaustively stated. An 
animated and interesting discussion, in which most of the members 
present took part, followed, and a cordial vote of thanks was awarded 
to Mr. Paul. Mr. Charles Turner contributed some fine dishes of Apples 
and the Chrysanthemum blooms for the decoration of the table, 
- Ranunculus Lyalli.—T his is the beautiful New Zealand 
white-flowered Buttercup which has tantalised English horticulturists 
for the last twenty years at least. Those who have seen it growing 
wild on the mountains in New Zealand, and have cultivated it in the 
gardens there, are unable to understand how it can fail to thrive in 
English gardens. Roughly described, remarks Mr. W, Watson of Kew, 
in the “ Garden and Forest,” R. Lyalli is as effective and beautiful in 
flower as the white Anemone japonica, growing as high, flowering as 
freely, and behaving in the same satisfactory manner in New Zealand 
as that species does with us. In foliage it is even more effective than 
the Anemone, the leaves being peltate, rich deep green, and from 8 to 
12 inches in diameter. The roots are tuberous. Failure with this plant 
in England is not due to cold, nor do I think excessive heat in summer 
hurts it. There is, however, some condition, some peculiar hitch which 
we cannot get over if we attempt to grow the plant out of doors. We 
have flowered it in pots in a cool Orchid house at Kew, but it was weak, 
and Mr. Moore of Glasnevin can grow it and flower it in a cold frame 
facing north, the plants being in pots, stood in shallow pans of water. 
At Reading, Mr. Bartholomew has grown it fairly well in an open 
border. 
- Stephanotis floribunda FRUiTiNet.—Mr. Robt. Wastling, 
market gardener, Beverley, has a young plant of Stephanotis floribunda 
bearing a fine fruit. Should any persons in the neighbourhood be 
sufficiently interested to give a call, Mr. Wastling would, I am sure, be 
very pleased to allow them to see it.— George Swailes, Beverley, 
East Yorhs. 
- - Maize Maturing in Wales.—M r. F. C. S. Brenton, Rose 
Cottage, Llantwit Vardre, Pontypridd, writes:—“It may be worthy of 
your notice that I have this year grown several stalks of Indian Corn 
with fully developed cobs. Some of the stalks were 8 feet, 9 feet, and 
10 feet high. I am told that no similar growth of Indian Corn has ever 
been seen in this neighbourhood.” 
-The National Amateur Gardeners’ Association.—W e 
understand that the annual dinner of this Association has been fixed 
to take place on Thursday, December 14th, 1893, in the Queen’s Salon, 
Holborn Restaurant, at seven o’clock p.m. The medals, prizes, and 
certificates won during the year will be presented on this occasion. 
Mr. D.B. Crane, 4, Woodview Terrace, Archway Road, Highgate, N., is 
the Hon. Secretary. 
- Gardening Appointments. — Mr. Walter Gibson leaves 
Steventon Manor Gardens, Whitc’aurch, Hants, on the 30th inst. for 
Sandown, Isle of Wight, as a grower of produce for market. Mr. 
W. Frost, gardener to W. Palmer, Esq , Westfield, Reading, has been 
appointed Mr. Gibson’s successor at Steventon. Mr. J. C. Anderson, 
formerly of Metham Hall, Howden. has been appointed to the charge of 
the gardens at Saltmarshe Hall, Howden, 
- Publications Received. — We have to acknowledge the 
receipt of the following publications :—The second part of the “ Transac¬ 
tions of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society ” for the year 1892, 
from the press of the Society at Boston, U.S.A. The report of the 
Canadian Department of Agriculture regarding experiments on Grasses, 
conducted at their farm at Ottawa. The November number of the 
“ Botanical Magazine,” published by L. Reeve & Co., Henrietta Street 
Covent Garden. 
- Tadcaster Paxton Society.—A t the weekly meeting, held 
last Thursday evening, November 16th, a most excellent paper was 
read by Mr. Callum, B.A. The subject taken was “ Efforts of Plants 
for Self-Preservation,” illustrated by blackboard drawings. The essayist 
pourtrayed the hard battle many plants had to fight for existence ; also 
described some of the peculiarities attending such plants as Sarra- 
cenias, Nepenthes, Venus’ Flytrap, Sundew and others. A discussion 
followed in which many of the members took part. A hearty vote of 
thanks was passed to Mr. Callum for his most instructive paper. Mr. 
H. J. Clayton of Grimston Park will read a paper on “ Hardy Fruit,” this 
evening (Thursday), November 23rd. 
- Canker in Fruit Trees. —This question now appears to be 
within measurable distance of solution. Is Nectria ditissima the cause 
or starting point of canker spots on the buds or spurs where it invariably 
commences ? Or is it mites or insect life which cause the first rupture. 
This is the only point left in the discussion of interest to me. I have 
proved so far as my trees are concerned that I can cure canker by 
dressings of insecticides and lime, and so far as practical use is con¬ 
cerned that is all I care for, and leaveothers to enjoy their own opinions. 
I have now devoted about ten or twelve years to the subject, examining 
trees in all localities available, and my firm belief is still that insects 
start canker spots, and that fungus follows on the decaying wood.— 
J. Hiam, 
- Greenhouse Winter Flowers. — In a discussion that took 
place last week between members of the Kingston Gardeners’ Association, 
it was pleaded by a member that numerous descriptions of what are very 
beautiful as well as most useful winter blooming plants', get very 
much put in the background, and are indeed comparatively neglected in 
some gardens, because so much of room and time is occupied with Chrys¬ 
anthemums, the which are so easily grown. Double and single Chinese 
Primroses, Cyclamen, Bouvardias, Roman Hyacinths, Spirmas, Azaleas, 
Poinsettias, Zonal Pelargoniums, Heaths, Salvias, Deuizias, and Carna¬ 
tions, are but a few of the many plants which should he 
furnished in proper numbers in every good garden, whilst those more 
highly favoured should always have some Cypripediums and other 
easily grown Orchids. Even where there are no Chrysanthemums grown 
it was shown that with due attention to the needs of plants for forcing 
purposes a remarkable wealth of Dc.iterial was open to all.—D. 
